Lehigh Valley women get dream jobs: Phillies ball girls

Three area college students are first-year members and enjoying their time at Citizens Bank Park.

Muhlenberg College junior Mackenzie Kramer. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO, THE…)

July 10, 2013|By Tom Housenick, Of The Morning Call

PHILADELPHIA — — Mackenzie Kramer was taken to her first Phillies game when she was 2 weeks old.

She has fond memories of keeping score of every game she attended with her dad Joel — after learning how to read and write — until she was 13 years old.

When Kramer was 16, she sat next to a Phillies ball girl at Citizens Bank Park. She asked the ball girl all about her job.

Two years later, Kramer employed her 3-year-old goddaughter, Caroline Decembrino, and Caroline's 6-year-old brother, Frankie, to help her with a tryout video.

Kory Nesci has recollections of attending games at Veterans Stadium until it was demolished after the 2003 season. Her family currently has a ticket plan at Citizens Bank Park.

She, too, had great interest in becoming a Phillies ball girl, but didn't do anything about it until her twin sister, Kelly, gave her a nudge.

"I told her I was making my tryout video this weekend [last September] so if she wanted to, that was her chance," Kelly said. "One of my roommates and my boyfriend helped. One worked the camera, the other directed."

The two Kutztown University students made the introductory video together, displaying their catching, throwing and hitting skills at a park not far from Kutztown's campus.

Kramer, a Muhlenberg College junior, and the Nesci twins got call-backs late last fall for a tryout, when they were asked to display their softball skills in the cages beneath Citizens Bank Park.

All three were picked last December to be among the nine new members of the 2013 Phillies ball girls team.

"I remember seeing a picture of me diving for a ball on the [Phillies] website right after the tryouts," Kramer said. "That was before I knew I made the team, and everyone was commenting on it."

The bit of embarrassment and the familial pushing were worth it, according to Kramer.

"It's been the best experience ever," she said. "There are such good relationships. I have so much fun being around them."

The Nescis, who graduated from Kutztown in the spring, and Kramer, a biology (pre-med) major at Muhlenberg, have one-year contracts with a "team" option for 2014.

No woman can serve as a ball girl for more than two years.

The paying job includes public appearances as well as service events at the stadium and in the community.

"You might be on the field only two or three times a month," Kory Nesci said. "That's probably only 10 percent of what we do.

"We are part of the Red goes Green [recycling] team here at Citizens Bank Park a lot more often. Starting in August, we'll be having raffles, so we'll split our time here between those three things."

Potential candidates must be at least 18 years old and have significant softball/baseball skills.

The Nescis and Kramer started playing softball when they were 5 years old and competed through high school.

Kramer played her freshman year at Muhlenberg before the workload of a pre-med student and club obligations left her little time to continue suiting up at third base.

Her dream now is to become a pediatric oncologist.

Kory Nesci played intramural softball and volleyball at Kutztown. She has another part-time job now and continues to look for work that will put her finance degree to good use.

Until they get real jobs, they are relishing their experiences as ball girls, including the slew of requests they get when working on the field during games.

"Somebody once said to me, 'Hey, you're a ball girl. You should have a box of balls to give out,' " Kramer recalled. "That's the worst anybody has said."

The biggest thrill for the ball girls is making the day of a young child.

"Seeing the looks on little kids' faces when you give them a ball is priceless," Kory Nesci said. "Their eyes get so wide. They are so happy and then get embarrassed when everyone starts clapping for them.

"If it actually is their birthday, they are like, 'Oh my gosh, this is the best birthday ever.' The whole family thanks you after you made his day."

The girls also get requests to sign baseballs they've given out, as well as hats, shirts and baseball cards with their pictures on the front and brief bios on the back.

Kory Nesci was even asked to pose for a picture with a couple's infant.

They are celebrities in Phillies pinstriped shirts and shorts.

They do not hang out with the players. They don't have a collection of the players' autographs.

They simply happen to work at the same place.

First-year ball girls shadow a second-year teammate for a game, then take over the veteran's duties for the last couple innings of the next game and so on.

Just like with the players, there are nerves before a game. That nearly turned into disaster for Kory.

"My first game, I remember running after a foul ball," she said. "I bent down to pick up the ball and I slipped.

"I knew I had the ball, but had to keep my balance. I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of everyone, so I was able to regain my balance and not fall."